# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1851 03 18_S117
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

117

secret factionalism arise among them, and corrupt their souls as well as the holy cause which they are pursuing.

Here it is needful that every one, to the best of his power, contribute to the preservation of brotherly unity, and that any misunderstandings that arise be promptly removed out of the way by open and honest explanation, since out of them distrust, estrangement and coldness are easily engendered, and the love of Christ suffers painfully thereby.

Here it behooves every one first of all to watch and pray earnestly against his own pride, irascibility, over-sensitiveness, talkativeness, etc., and also for the stronger to anticipate the weaker with reverence, since the strength of the worldly mighty consists in ruling, but that of Christians in bearing, as it is written: "Bear ye one another's burdens," etc.

These, then, in brief, would be the chief things for preparing oneself to become a future servant of the holy Church. May the gracious and merciful God grant in His grace that also in this new house, and henceforth, such wholesome and good work may be in full swing, to His honor, and to the profit and benefit of His holy Church. This grant HE, for Christ's sake. Amen.

Zeal and Diligence in the Work of the Lord.

(From Scriver's: Gottholds Siech- und Siegesbette. First Part, page 37 ff.)

Revelation 4, 8.

"They rest not day and night."

§ 1. The holy Evangelist and Apostle describes at the place cited four beasts, which he saw in the Spirit in the opened heaven, round about the throne of GOD, and says among other things of them: "They rest not day and night"; for they praise and laud GOD without ceasing. The most and best expositors of this prophetic book of the New Testament agree that by these beasts are signified and represented, first of all, the four Evangelists, and thereafter all other faithful, zealous teachers of the Church of GOD, who, partly by oral preaching, partly by spiritual, edifying writings, have been, and still are, diligent to spread abroad the honor and doctrine of JESUS in the world, and thereby to build up the precious congregation of GOD. Of these he says: "They rest not day and night," but continue without ceasing in the service, praise and laud of GOD; their zeal grows not weary, their diligence is not quenched, their heart rests not, but is engaged in constant longing, desiring, endeavoring, meditating, thinking, seeking, beginning and doing, and this unrest is their rest, this diligence is their food, this burden their delight, this labor their refreshment; for in that they love, praise, laud and serve God, they enjoy Him, and behold His glory, and live and move in His blessedness.

§ 2. Now so it is. No upright servant of GOD and of His Church, who has the Spirit and mind of Christ, can be idle and still; he must ever work, ever care, pray, wrestle, fight, ever in real (active) furtherance of the honor of GOD, and propagation of His kingdom, in the service and edification of the Church and of his neighbor, in amendment of himself, in stirring up the gift of GOD which is in him, (2 Tim. 1, 6.) in the exercise of faith, of love, of godliness, in spiritual "usury and trading," and the like, to be busy, (Matt. 25, 16. ff.). He says rightly with his Saviour: "My Father worketh hitherto;" my Jesus worketh, and I work also (John 5, 17.). "The spirit of faith," which he has received, (2 Cor. 4, 13.) and the divine nature, of which he has been made partaker, (2 Pet. 1, 4.) suffers him not to be still. He believes, therefore he speaks, preaches, writes, is zealous and works. He does indeed rest at times, but after the manner of his GOD, before whom he stands, with whom he walks, whom he serves, of whom it is said: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them," He rested on the seventh day from all His "works" which He made; (Gen. 2, 1. 2.) yet His rest is of such a kind that He provides for, governs and upholds all that is in heaven and on earth; so a faithful servant of GOD rests at times, and seems to do nothing; yea, he seeks at times in company, in conversation with godly friends, in a drive, in a pleasant, honorable, becoming recreation, a diversion, but one may well say of him what that renowned Roman said of himself, that he was never less idle than when he was idle; especially since in the midst of such rest his soul and his spirit remain busy, and are moved with constant sighing, holy desire, heavenly longing, and he also rests only for this, that afterward he may be the more active, and prosecute the work of the LORD the more diligently.

§ 3. He is like the fruitful trees, which indeed in the autumn, when they have shed their ripe fruits into men's laps, let their leaves fall, and stand there as unfruitful, yet have already set buds for the coming leaves, blossoms and fruits. When he has finished a work, and laid aside a labor, his thoughts and longings are already directed to another. He says with the holy Apostle: "Forgetting those things which are behind," what I have hitherto done to the honor of GOD, in the kingdom of the Lord JESUS, to the service of His Church, "and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (Phil. 3, 13.) I long with my whole heart, and this is the one desire of my soul, that I may ever increase in the knowledge of my JESUS, in faith, in love, in zeal, in the furtherance of the honor and knowledge of GOD, and may do more than has hitherto been done. Heavenly minds are like the heaven, which is found in constant motion, and ever imparts its kindly and powerful influence. The more a soul has fellowship with God, and the nearer it is united with the highest Good, the more actual (effective) and zealous is it in imparting to others what it has received out of the eternal deep.

§ 4. The soul that has known GOD in His goodness, desires from the heart that He might be known by all men, partly for His own sake, that He may be praised by all as GOD, partly for their sake, that they may enjoy Him, and be satisfied in His love. He who is blessed (in faith and in hope) desires most zealously that he might see many, yea all, who are about him, in the like condition. He who is kindled with the heavenly fire cannot do otherwise than burn and shine, as the LORD says of John the Baptist: "He was a burning and a shining light" (John 5, 35). As soon as the Apostles had received "cloven tongues like as of fire" (Acts 2, 3. 4. 11.) and burning hearts, and were "filled with the Holy Ghost," they began to preach and to speak of "the wonderful works of GOD." As soon as Paul had become a believer and was baptized, "he preached Christ in the synagogues" (Acts 9, 19. 20). That godly soul said with the holy Augustine: Serio nimis dilexi te, Domine. Ah, my God, that I have so late known Thee and begun to love Thee! and added: Ah, that I had a voice which could be heard from morning till evening, from midnight till noon, that I might make known to all men the wonders of the love and goodness of God! Ah, if the whole world were a lute, and I might be able to touch and move it to the praise and glory of the majestic and most glorious GOD!

§ 5. Hither belongs what the Prophet says: (Isaiah 62, 1.) "For Zion's (the Church of GOD's) sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth." So a faithful and godly teacher cannot do otherwise than always work, always be zealous and diligent in the work of the LORD, "every man according to the measure of faith" and of the gifts which he has received from Him (Rom. 12, 3.). He is like a burning-glass, which receives the rays of the sun and gives them forth again with great brightness and much fire; he is like a mother who has a full breast, so that she presses forth the milk; who longs for the child that it may enjoy such sweet fullness, as the holy Paul says: "the love of Christ constraineth us". (2 Cor. 5, 14). He is a vessel which is filled to the brim and overflows, of which again the precious Apostle says: (1 Cor. 14, 12) "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church." According to the Greek it may be translated thus: if ye are zealous (or with great desire long) after the spiritual gifts, then see to it, or be diligent, that ye may overflow to the edification of the congregation; as if he would say: since ye are most zealously desiring to be equipped with spiritual gifts, be assured that there is none nobler and better among them all than to be able to edify the congregation of GOD; seek therefore that your hearts may be filled from heaven with the living knowledge of GOD, with divine and spiritual wisdom, power and comfort, and may pour yourselves out as overflowing holy vessels to the service of others.

§ 6. Such holy and blessed labor and unrest of the faithful and zealous servants of JESUS is now their delight and their rest, wherein they find more joy and pleasure than in all